Bahrain - History

The history of Bahrain has been traced back 5,000 years to Sumerian
times. Known as Dilmun, Bahrain was a thriving trade center around 2000
BC
; the islands were visited by the ships of Alexander the Great in the
third century
BC
. Bahrain accepted Islam in the 7th century
AD
, after which it was ruled alternately by its own princes and by the
caliphs' governors. The Portuguese occupied Bahrain from 1522 to
1602. The present ruling family, the Khalifa, who are related to the
Sabah family of Kuwait and the Sa'udi royal family, captured
Bahrain in 1782. Following an initial contact in 1805, the ruler of
Bahrain signed the first treaty with Britain in 1820. A binding treaty
of protection, similar to those with other Persian Gulf principalities,
was concluded in 1861 and revised in 1892 and 1951. After World War II,
Britain maintained at Bahrain its headquarters for treaty affairs in the
lower Gulf. Claims to Bahrain pressed by Iran were abandoned in 1971
after a UN mission ascertained that the Bahrainis wished to remain
independent of that nation.

Between 1968 and 1971, Bahrain participated in discussions aimed at
forming a federation of the nine sheikhdoms of the southern Gulf. On 14
August 1971, Sheikh 'Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa declared that, in
view of the failure of the larger federation to materialize, Bahrain
would declare its independence. Its treaties with the United Kingdom
were replaced by a treaty of friendship and cooperation, and on 15
August, the country became the sovereign State of Bahrain. Bahrain
promulgated its first constitution in 1973, which occasioned the
convening of an elective National Assembly; the legislature was
dissolved in August 1975 amid charges of communist influence. The emir
continued to set state policy, and his brother, Crown Prince Hamad bin
'Isa al-Khalifa, directed government administration. In 1993,
Bahrain established an appointive Consultative Assembly (Majlis
al-Shura). On 14 February 2001, a referendum was held that endorsed a
return to constitutional rule. Under the constitution amended 14
February 2002, the country is no longer an emirate, but a constitutional
monarchy. The emir was replaced by a king. A two-house National Assembly
was established, along with an independent judiciary.

Owing to its small size, Bahrain generally takes its lead in foreign
affairs from its Arab neighbors on the Gulf. A founding member of the
Gulf Cooperation Council, it shares with the other five members a
long-standing concern with pressures from Iran and Iraq. During the
Iran-Iraq War, Bahrain joined most other Arab states in supporting Iraq.
Subsequently, it has carefully tried to foster better relations with
Iran through trade. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, Bahrain stood with the
allies, contributing military support and facilities to the defeat of
Iraq.

Bahrain has long assisted the American naval presence in the Persian
Gulf. In 1977, a formal agreement for home-porting US naval ships was
replaced by arrangements to continue ship visits and other security
cooperation. Since the Gulf War, this cooperation has expanded with arms
sales, plans for joint exercises and US pre-positioning of military
material for future contingencies. In 1991, the United States signed an
agreement giving the Department of Defense access to facilities on the
island. The country is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.

Since 1994, Bahrain, like several traditional emirates of the Gulf,
experienced sometimes severe civil disturbances from a
Shi'ite-led resistance opposed to the ruling family and
supportive of establishing an Islamic democracy. In 1996, a band of 44
Bahraini Islamists were arrested for allegedly planning a coup to
overthrow the ruling family. The emirate broke relations with Iran,
which the former accused of fomenting its civil disturbances which
between 1994 and 1996 had resulted in 25 deaths. In 1997, the United
States disclosed that it had uncovered a plot to attack its military
forces stationed in the country.

On 6 March 1999, Sheikh 'Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa, who had ruled
his country since its independence in 1971, died of a heart attack. He
was succeeded on the throne by his son, Sheikh Hamad bin 'Isa
al-Khalifa. Over the following year, there were signs that while the new
ruler would continue his father's pro-Western foreign-policy
orientation, domestically he would take a more liberal approach to
government. In April, Sheikh Hamad released high-profile Shi'ite
dissident, Sheik Abdul Amir al-Jamri, from jail together with hundreds
of other political prisoners. Another broad pardon of dissidents took
place in November. By February 2001, the emir had pardoned and released
all political prisoners, detainees, and exiles.

On 16 March 2001, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) resolved a
territorial dispute between Bahrain and Qatar over the potential oil-
and gas-rich Hawar Islands. The islands were controlled by Bahrain since
the 1930s but were claimed by Qatar. Bahrain also claimed the town of
Zubarah, which is on the mainland of Qatar. The dispute has lasted for
decades and almost brought the two nations to the brink of war in 1986.
In its judgment, the ICJ drew a single maritime boundary in the Gulf of
Bahrain, delineating Bahrain and Qatar's territorial waters and
sovereignty over the disputed islands within. The ICJ awarded Bahrain
the largest disputed islands, the Hawar Islands, and Qit'at
Jaradah Island. Qatar was given sovereignty over Janan Island and the
low-tide elevation of Fasht ad Dibal. The Court reaffirmed Qatari
sovereignty over the Zubarah Strip.

In August 2002, Hamad (now king) made the first state visit to Iran
since the Islamic revolution in 1979. The two countries voiced their
support for solidarity with the Iraqi people. Iraq was at that time
under the threat of a military attack led by the United States for its
possession of weapons of mass destruction. Bahrain and Iran urged Iraq
to implement all UN resolutions then pending, so that Iraq's
territorial integrity and sovereignty could be honored. President
Mohammed Khatami of Iran and King Hamad also noted the importance of
preserving security and stability in the region, and thus pledged to
strengthen ties with one another. Several trade, taxation, and naval
agreements were signed at the conclusion of the state visit. As well,
both countries agreed to "open a new page" in their
bilateral relations, previously strained due to Iran's support
for Bahraini opposition movements, and Iran's criticism of the
American military presence in Bahrain.

In January 2003, demonstrations took place in Bahrain in opposition to a
potential US-led war with Iraq. By 13 January, there were approximately
150,000 US troops in the Gulf region, many of which were stationed in
Bahrain, in addition to Kuwait, Qatar, Sa'udi Arabia, and Oman.